The need for persons to don protective clothing during times of exposure to cold temperatures has always been known. Indeed, various garments have been specially developed to protect different parts of the body; among these are various hats, caps and other headgear adapted to protect a wearer's ears. For example, some hats and caps include flap portions that can be either extended downwardly over the ears when worn on the head or retracted away from the ears, if desired. Stocking-type caps are often sized so that they may be rolled into a thick peripheral margin away from the ears but unrolled over the ears when extra ear protection is sought. Some stocking-type caps are constructed to encase the entire head, including the ears, leaving only small openings for the eyes, nose and mouth.
In addition to these examples of headwear, specifically designed independent protectors for the ears, are known and are commonly referred to as earmuffs, and it is to this type of ear protector that the present invention is concerned. Typically, earmuffs comprise a pair of earmuff elements each in the form of a large, thick, insulated disk sized to cover the ear. These earmuff elements are rather stiff constructs, and they are usually interconnected by an arcuate strip of metal or plastic that is stiff, yet resilient enough so that the earmuff elements may be positioned over the ears or held in position with the spring-like action of the band member which arches over and is supported by the top of the wearer's head. While being fairly functional, thee earmuffs are somewhat awkward and uncomfortable to wear. Moreover, they lack fashion appeal and, indeed, disrupt hair styling due to the compression of the hair by the stiff arcuate band and by the earmuff elements. For these reasons, many people avoid wearing protective earmuffs.
Other types of earmuffs are known and are described in various published patents. One such structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,544 issued Sep. 9, 1952 to Berg wherein an earmuff assembly includes a securing band and a pair of earmuffs which are slidably mounted on the band so that they may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly along the band to fit over the ears of the wearer. One end of the band is connected to a buckle and the other end of the band is threaded therethrough for adjusting the length and relative tightness of the band about the wearer's head. Each earmuff includes a rigid ring having a pair of opposite holes through which the band extends. An earmuff covering is formed of two different types of fabric such as an inner layer of wood or cotton felt and an outer layer of nap-covered fabric or natural lamb's wool.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,599 issued Nov. 9, 1954 to Berg, discloses an earmuff assembly comprising an elastic band and a pair of earmuffs slidably mounted on the elastic band. The ends of the band are secured together to form an endless band which must be stretched to surround the wearer's head. Each of the earmuffs comprise an outer circular conical shell of smooth, shiny sheet plastic consisting of a disk having a radial slit from its periphery to its center. The edges of the slit are overlapped and connected together with a tubular rivet thereby forming a shallow cone. Each of the shells has a pair of opposed elongated holes adjacent the outer edges and extending parallel to the periphery for receiving the band. Each of the shells has a lining of native lambs' wool with a leather backing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,456,167 issued Dec. 14, 1948 to Arkus describes an earmuff assembly which can also be used as a head ornament. The earmuff assembly comprises an elongated, limp tape and a pair of earmuffs. Each earmuff includes a flat outer layer of material and a flat inner layer of material. The tape is threaded through a passageway provided in association with each earmuff so that it is slidable on the tape. The connection between the tape and the earmuffs is slidable in order to allow movement of both earmuffs along the tape so that the earmuffs can be moved from a position covering the ears to any other position along the tape. One other position might be located above the ears, at which the earmuffs form attractive decorations.
Each of the prior art earmuff assemblies disclose only a single band which encircles the wearer's head. A single band is suitable for each of the Berg patents because the earmuffs are fabricated from a rigid or substantially rigid material. In the Arkus patent, where the earmuffs are fabricated from a fabric material, wind can cause the earmuffs to be blown away from contact with the wearer's ears. Also, earmuff assemblies that are fabricated from a rigid material or a substantially rigid material are generally heavy to carry, uncomfortable to wear and rather bulky for storage when not in use.
A need exists to provide an earmuff assembly that is comfortable, compact, and lightweight. There is also a need to provide an earmuff assembly having such characteristics that cannot be blown away from the wearer's ears in windy conditions. Further, there remains a need for fashionable earmuffs that cause reduced damage to a hair style. The present invention is directed to such an invention.